Liège-Guillemins railway station (; ) is the main station in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, Belgium. It is one of the most important hubs in the country and is one of the four Belgian stations on the

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

network. The station is used by 15,000 people every day, which makes it the eleventh-busiest station in Belgium and the third in

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

. It is operated by the

National Railway Company of Belgium The National Railway Company of Belgium (, NMBS; , SNCB; ) is the national railway company of Belgium. The company formally styles itself using the Dutch and French abbreviations NMBS/SNCB. The corporate logo designed in 1936 by Henry van de Ve ...

(SNCB/NMBS).

History

First station (1842–1863)

The choice to make

the crossing point of a railway goes back to the first sketches of the railway from

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

to the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, drawn up just after the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

. A

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

issued on 21 March 1832 mentions it and a law dated 1 May 1834 provides for the creation of four lines, including the "eastern line", from

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

to Liège and the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n border.Ulysse Lamalle, ''Histoire des chemins de fer Belges'' (in French), Brussels, Office de Publicité, 1953, p. 20–22, 37–42. In 1838, only three years after the first continental railway, a line linking

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

and Ans, in the northern suburbs of Liège, was opened. With the arrival of the railway, Liège needed an interior station. In 1842, a wooden construction was erected on the site of the former convent of the Guillemites. This first Liège-Guillemins railway station was inaugurated in May 1842, linking the valley to the upper Ans station. The Guillemins site, located slightly outside the city centre, was chosen for technical reasons over the local preference for the Place Saint-Lambert. In 1843, the first international railway connection was born, linking Liège to

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

(Germany).

Second and third stations (1863–2009)

The Belgian State, choosing to go against the city authorities who demanded the relocation of the station to the city centre, built a new station in 1863 to replace the original wooden one. Its massive structure and its large French-style fan-shaped canopy illuminating the waiting room were its pride. The architect A.P.J. Lambeau, principal engineer for the Ministry of Railways, was particularly inspired by the buildings of the

Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; ), officially Paris Nord, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station is served by trains that run between the capital and northern France via the Paris–Lille railway, as well ...

and Gare de l'Est stations in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Lambeau is also the architect of the Charleroi-Sud and Namur stations, restored in the 2000s. The station was modernised and improved in 1882 and in 1905 for the

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

in Liège. This Beaux-Arts station was replaced in 1958 by a much criticised "modern"

International style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

building that was used until June 2009, a few months before the opening of the new Calatrava-designed station. The second station was completely demolished to allow the completion of the remaining sections of the new station. File:Gare Guillemins 1905-2.jpg, The second Liège-Guillemins railway station (1882), pictured in 1905 File:Gare Guillemins années 1970.jpg, The third Liège-Guillemins railway station (1958), pictured in the 1970s

Current station (2009–present)

At the end of the 20th century, high-speed trains were introduced, requiring a new station since the existing platforms were too small. The new station, by the Spanish architect

Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spaniards, Spanish-Swiss people, Swiss architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stad ...

, was officially opened on 18 September 2009, with a show by the stage director

Franco Dragone Franco Dragone (12 December 1952 – 30 September 2022) was an Italian-born Belgian theatre director. He was the founder and artistic director of Dragone, a creative company specializing in the creation of large-scale theatre shows. According to ...

. It has nine tracks and five platforms (three of and two of ). All the tracks around the station have been modernised to allow high-speed arrival and departure. The new station is made of steel, glass and white

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

. It includes a monumental

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

, long and high. The building costs were €312 million. File:Station Luik-Guillemins 23-08-2018 11-36-01.jpg, The fourth (current) Liège-Guillemins railway station designed by

(2009), pictured in 2018 File:13-12-26-Gare de Liège-Guillemins by Santiago Calatrava-20.jpg, Inside view of the current station, in 2013

Services

Liège-Guillemins station is served by InterCity (IC) and Local (L) trains along with the Liège S Train system connecting Liège with all major Belgian cities as well as several international destinations such as

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

, and

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

. In addition to the national trains, Liège-Guillemins station welcomes

Eurostar Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service in Western Europe, connecting Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The service is operated by the Eurostar Group which was formed from the merger of Eurostar, ...

and

ICE Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

trains, connecting Liège to

and

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Two new dedicated high-speed tracks were built:

HSL 2 The HSL 2 (, ) is a Belgian high-speed rail line between Leuven and Ans (near Liège) and is long, all of it on dedicated high-speed tracks, which began service on 15 December 2002. As part of the Belgian railway network, it is owned, technic ...

(Brussels–Liège) and HSL 3 (Liège–German border). The station is served by the following services: *High speed services (Eurostar) ''Paris - Brussels - Liège - Aachen - Cologne - Düsseldorf - Essen - Dortmund'' *High speed services (ICE) ''Brussels - Liège - Aachen - Cologne - Frankfurt'' *Intercity services (IC 01) ''Ostend - Bruges - Gent - Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Welkenraedt - Eupen'' *Intercity services (IC 09) ''Antwerp - Lier - Aarschot - Hasselt - Liège (weekends)'' *Intercity services (IC 12) ''Kortrijk - Gent - Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Welkenraedt'' (weekdays) *Intercity services (IC 14) ''Quiévrain - Mons - Braine-le-Comte - Brussels - Leuven - Liège'' (weekdays) *Intercity services (IC 18) ''(Tournai -) Brussels - Namur - Liège'' (weekdays) *Intercity services (IC 25) ''Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Huy - Liège - Herstal'' (weekdays) *Intercity services (IC 25) ''Mouscron - Tournai - Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Liège - Liers'' (weekends) *Intercity services (IC 33) ''Liège - Gouvy - Troisvierges - Luxembourg'' (weekdays) *Intercity services (IC 33) ''Liers - Liège - Gouvy - Troisvierges - Luxembourg'' (weekends) *Local services (L 01) ''Namur - Huy - Liège'' *Local services (L 15) ''Liers - Liège - Rivage - Marloie'' *Regional S Train (S41) ''Liège - Pepinster - Verviers'' (weekdays) *Regional S Train (S41) ''Herstal - Liège - Pepinster - Verviers'' (weekends) *Regional S Train (S42) ''Liers - Liège - Seraing - Flémalle-Haute'' *Regional S Train (S43) ''Hasselt - Tongeren - Liège - Visé - Maastricht'' (weekdays) *Regional S Train (S43) ''Liège - Visé - Maastricht'' (weekends) *Regional S Train (S44) ''Liège - Ans - Waremme'' (weekdays) *Regional S Train (S44) ''Liège - Ans - Waremme - Landen'' (weekends) Liège-Guillemins also sees various Peak (''P'') trains during the week. The national trains to Brussels also use the high speed line at , while Eurostar and ICE can go up to (connecting Brussels and Liège in 39 minutes). In June 2024, the Liège-Guillemins to

service by

train line will be replaced by an

Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...

service but will be staffed by

personnel through the Belgian border. The service will run from Liège-Guillemins to Aachen Hbf via

. The service will stop at the following stations: Liège-Guillemins – Bressoux –

Visé Visé (; , ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, located on the river Meuse in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Argenteau, Cheratte, Lanaye, Lixhe, Richelle, and Visé. In the ...

– Eijsden – Maastricht Randwijck –

- Meerssen - Valkenburg –

Heerlen Heerlen (; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the f ...

– Landgraaf - Herzogenrath - Aachen West - Aachen Hbf. It is not yet known if

OV-chipkaart The OV-chipkaart (, short for ''openbaar vervoer chipkaart'' , meaning ''public transport chipcard'') is a contactless smart card and integrated ticketing system used for all public transport in the Netherlands. First introduced in the Rotterda ...

readers will be installed at the station.

Connections

Liège-Guillemins is also a transport hub for TEC buses and trams. The tram line, opened on 28 April 2025, serves the station at a stop in Place des Guillemins in front of the station. Before the opening of the tram line, more than 1620 buses carried 15,000 people daily at the station. Liège-Guillemins is one of the few railway stations in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

directly connected to a

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

( E40- E25). The connection gives direct access to the 850-place

parking Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and usually leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the bu ...

structure, behind the station. No cycling path connection exists between the station and the city.

Gallery

File:Station Luik-Guillemins Zijkant.jpg, Lateral view File:Station Luik-Guillemins Overzicht.jpg, View of the platforms File:Station Luik-Guillemins Perron.jpg, View of the platforms and tracks File:Station Luik-Guillemins Naam.jpg, Place name sign on a platform

References

Footnotes

Citations

External links

* *
In Pictures: Calatrava's Liège-Guillemins train station

Site of the Walloon regional archives. Bus crossings in front of Liège-Guillemins station. Photographs from 1995
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liege-Guillemins Railway Station Railway stations in Liège Province Buildings and structures in Liège Transport in Liège Railway stations in Belgium opened in 1842 Santiago Calatrava structures Neo-futurist architecture